From: Michael Wiik (mwiik@messagenet.com)
Date: Thu Mar 20 2003 - 20:22:42 MST
Lee Corbin wrote:
> That's a great idea! I can't think of anything to teach
> humility to the American students as quickly as that!
Indeed, the humility lesson would be a plus. Good thought.
> What they would learn is one of life's most important
> lessons, to wit, ***Eternal Truth Number One***:
>
> Nothing is Simple
That's right. It'd be damn difficult.
> I mean, if helping the poorer countries has escaped the
> best minds in the IMF and World Bank, and their trillions,
> for decade after decade after decade, I hate to break it
> to you, but the students are going to find that there is
> absolutely nothing they can do. It would be a miracle if
> they came to understand the "natives" situation one tenth
> as well as those benighted souls.
Hmmm, this bought to mind this old story about AIDS in Africa:
<<At the World Bank, an internal study found what South African
economist Alan Whiteside ridiculed as a "silver lining" in the plague.
"If the only effect of the AIDS epidemic were to reduce the population
growth rate, it would increase the growth rate of per capita income in
any plausible economic model," said the June 1992 report by the bank's
population and human resources department. Exactly that had happened in
the 14th century, the report said, with the bubonic plague. The report
did not conclude that AIDS would be a benefit to Africa, even in
strictly economic terms, but it hardly marked a clarion call to action.
"Only the World Bank would put that on paper," Whiteside said.>>
-- http://tinyurl.com/7vih
a.k.a.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A47234-2000Jul4¬Found=true
Well, maybe the villagers might be less suspicious of the kids than the
World Bank people. I was proposing contact that could be a little more
direct and personal, and involve daily contact for years.
> A non-public remark of one villager
> to another might be, "I understand that we are putting up with
> this silliness because somebody over there might send some
> money, but shouldn't we be honest with the poor kids?"
Well, I would hope such an education program would quickly disavow such
a possible incentive. Such would give well-off classrooms a distinct
advantage. Individual kids would be welcome to send their allowance, of
course, but it should be made clear to the 'adopted' village that the
program itself is not going to give them money. Just information and advice.
And of course it's voluntary. Each village can decide for itself if it
wishes to participate. Patience would be required of both the village
and the schoolkids.
The kids would have the advantage of time. They could spend all day
(indeed, maybe every day of their entire schooling) working on things
that might help the village. Possibly, they might plan out supply,
distribution, and sharing networks that, while the villagers might be
perfectly able to do for themselves, they simply don't have the time to
research.
Also, any positive memes that come out of this can be shared instantly
with all the other adopter classrooms. No doubt getting the first
village online with even minimal real contact would be a big hurdle. But
young kids (perhaps boys especially) can be quite competitive. Perhaps a
series of prizes would be an additional incentive when the going gets rough.
> That's what American kids need these days! More self-esteem!
I agree, they need real self-esteem, built by a series of real
acomplishments, rather than the fake self-esteem promoted in current US
grade school education.
I can see it maybe possible that the kids would be worse off if they
failed utterly, but at least the lesson that nothing is simple would be
reinforced.
> Yes! And with the skills the kids develop, they can
> man the hotlines to resolve domestic disturbances,
> intractable corporate mergers, and any number of
> conflicts that periodically arise between groups
> and individuals.
Well, you're reaching, but it could happen. I'm sure there's lots of
kids right now who are cowering by the railing at the top of the stairs
listening to their parents screaming at each other, and having no idea
whatsoever of what to do.
Thanks for your positive suggestions,
-Mike
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